Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Montgomery County Council gave golfers at Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring a nine-month reprieve Tuesday, voting to approve a proposal from County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) to spend $150,000 to keep the inside-the-Beltway public golf course open until June 30.

The council also approved plans to set up a task force to seek ideas for the course's future. Among the possibilities is allowing the course to become a golfing center for veterans and members of the public, a proposal from County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring).

The course had been slated to close Thursday after the county's revenue authority said it could no longer afford to operate it.

The course has been open since 1927 and was originally a private course. It became the county's first public course in 1946, Ervin said. It is popular with seniors, beginners, women and minority golfers. Community members rallied support for the course over the summer, helping lead to Tuesday's reprieve.

Council members Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville) and Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty) voted against the $150,000 appropriation, saying they were worried about spending without more specific plans during tight budget times.

About Us

This blog is published periodically by Alan Bowser, a resident of Silver Spring, MD, with the occassional help of friends. Any opinion expressed via this blog is that of the author(s) and should not be attributed to third parties. For more info, contact, alan.bowser@gmail.com